For the happily uninitiated, migraines are hell.
Sometimes mistakenly applied to a bad headache, the term actually refers to a condition which, while it’s caused by an uneven constriction and dilation of the vessels which carry blood to the brain, results in the abnormal excitation of different parts of the brain – this means that different parts of the brain get unusually active, causing a variety of symptoms which can affect almost every part of the body.
There are actually many different types of migraine. The common migraine, which is the type I suffer all too frequently from, causes severe headache as well as nausea and vomiting (sometimes the latter symptoms are so severe that the only effective treatment has to be administered in the form of an injection), photosensitivity, severe sensitivity to smell, loss of balance, difficulty speaking, severe muscle cramping around the base of the skill and in the muscles of the shoulders and neck, and many other symptoms besides. Believe it or not, the common migraine is one of the less severe forms of migraine – some cause temporary paralysis or coma.
Migraines last for different periods of time in different people – in my case, the unusual activity of the parts of my brain which are involved in my migraines follows a fairly regular pattern: once triggered, I experience something called an aura (patches of light across my field of vision, making it difficult to see to the point where it is impossible to read) which lasts for 40 minutes or so. After this the headache and nausea start. These continue for 8 hours from the time the migraine was triggered. After this I usually feel exhausted, slightly nauseous, slightly headachey, and my head is very fragile – a cough, sneeze or laugh can hurt terribly. This continues until roughly 24 hours after the migraine was triggered, when the nerve cells that the migraine got all hyperactive finally return to normal – and at which point I’ll finally start feeling vaguely normal again.
Scientists recently discovered that migraine sufferers are predisposed to migraines due to a genetic factor – but sufferers need to be exposed to a certain trigger or set of triggers in order to set off the chain of neurological events which result in a migraine.
Once the chain has been tipped off, medication can be taken which may or may not reduce the severity of the migraine, but which typically won’t stave it off entirely.
Migraine triggers can be identified and, where possible, avoided, but for migraine sufferers, the migraine is ultimately an unfortunate reality of life which can crop up at the most inconvenient times, leaving sufferers feeling distressed and isolated in addition to very, very ill.
Which is why I thought I’d write this brief overview for the family, friends and colleagues of migraine sufferers who, if they’ve never been exposed to the condition before, are often mystified by the frequently sudden transformation of a colleague or loved one from a healthy, intelligent individual into a barely coherent, puking, dark-craving creature. Hopefully it has given enough of an insight into the condition to allow you to understand and empathise with the migraine sufferer in your midst. For more detailed information, I refer you to this website - or ask any migraine sufferer you know: we’re usually glad to help you understand how migraines affect us and how you can work with us to manage the condition we’ve been burdened with.